This week's reviews: It's a bad flashback, man

The past can be a difficult thing to overcome. See O.J. Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Cleveland
sports franchises for confirmation. This is the theme that binds
Labor Day by Jason Reitman together. Unfortunately, the flashbacks that tell the story are
the force that pulls it apart.

Reitman is a talented director who finds success in varied settings. Unfortunately, he, like his
film, found himself tripped up by the past, according to critic Betsy Sharkey.

"Labor Day marks only the fifth movie for Jason Reitman, who has made careful construction
a distinguishing feature of his films (Juno,
Thank You for Smoking,
Up in the Air,
Young Adult)," Sharkey said.

"He stumbles with
Labor Day: Absent the contemporary vibe he captured so effortlessly before, the film is
set in a small New Hampshire town, circa 1987, and given the ethos of a period piece. Then there is
the matter of the past, which haunts the film."